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After falling in their season-opening game, the UTEP women's basketball team has a chance to change the results of their next two games.
The Miners wrap up their stint in the Preseason WNIT tournament in Little Rock, Ark. in the consolation round when they take on Eastern Illinois Nov. 20. Should the Miners defeat the Panthers, they will take on the winner of Arkansas-Little Rock and Northern Colorado the following day.
UTEP is coming off a 66-54 loss to Florida Gulf Coast Nov. 13, a game which saw the offense struggle for stretches of the game. The scoring futility led the Eagles to build a double-digit lead and command of the game that they did not let go of.
"We can't dwell on the last game, we just have to look forward and focus on the next game," guard Briana Green said. "We can't do anything about that but stay positive and we will get through it."
In order for the Miners (0-1) to even their record against Eastern Illinois, the offensive flow will need to improve from the last game. Against Florida Gulf Coast, UTEP had mixed results on the attack. They were unable to knock down baskets in the opening half, making just four field goals while having a significantly better outcome in the second half by shooting over 60 percent.
"That was our first real game with each other, so there are going to be some jitters, but we just want to take that game and just start moving forward," senior forward Timika Williams said.
It was no surprise that the defense was able to be more efficient once the offense got into sync since the urgency to score went down. Once the consistency kicked in, the Miners mounted a comeback. In one stretch that spanned from the final 4 minutes of the first half up until 8 minutes into the second half, the Miners managed a 25-7 run to trim a 24-point deficit to six points.
"I think the biggest thing is that we have to take better care of the basketball," head coach Keitha Adams said. "I think our intensity and our effort was tremendous in the second half. We really got after it and it got us back in the game. I was proud of our effort; we just have to find a way to play like that for 40 minutes."
Eastern Illinois (0-1) has already had a tough beginning to their 2009-10 campaign, even before playing in their first game.
The Panthers are playing through the season with heavy hearts after the sudden death of assistant coach Jackie Moore, who died Nov. 4 after collapsing during a workout on the EIU campus. Moore helped lead Eastern Illinois to 43 wins in her two seasons on the bench.
Once they had an opportunity to get back on the court, the Panthers lost in their season-opening game in the Preseason WNIT. They fell to third ranked Ohio State 91-68 Nov. 13 in Columbus. Like the Miners, they will have had a seven day break in between games.
Kelsey Wyss led the Panthers with 12 points on four of nine shooting on the night and also managed five rebounds and three steals in 24 minutes of play. Ta'Kenya Nixon also recorded double-digit scoring and finished with 10 points to go with five rebounds and five assists.
Like Florida Gulf Coast, Eastern Illinois is coming off a successful 2008-09 campaign, finishing up with a 24-9 record and were runner-ups in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament. The Panthers' 24 victories were the most wins by a team that did not qualify for a postseason tournament.
"They have a really good point guard that can get to the basket, a couple of sharpshooters and athletic interior," Adams said. "They have a balanced attack with an inside and outside game so we are going to have to be smart about how we guard people and have a good offensive night."
Eastern Illinois lost some key players that catapulted them to their successful run last season, but still bring back eight letter-winners, including five seniors. They are projected to finish fourth in the conference.
Leading the Panthers this season is guard Dominique Sims, who was selected to the Preseason All-OVC Team. Sims is the team's leading returning scorer from last season, averaging 8.6 points a game on a team that lost three of its top four scorers.
Herman Rojas may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.
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